LECTURE TOPICS AND DESCRIPTIONS

With the growing use of immune-suppressive therapies for the treatment of neurologic, oncologic and autoimmune diseases, the human polyomaviruses have emerged as opportunistic pathogens in increasingly diverse patient populations, highlighting our lack of understanding of the immunologic pathways that control polyomaviruses in healthy individuals. This talk focuses on the growing number of polyomaviruses identified by molecular techniques and the importance of in vitro and animal models to direct the rational development of antiviral agents and clinical strategies for improving patient care.

Building the Infrastructure for Translational Research in Infectious Diseases

Infectious agents are a continual threat to human health, with the majority of new infectious threats being zoonotic agents that enter the human population unexpectedly. Louis Pasteur’s famous quotation, “chance favors only the prepared mind,” has never been more true than in the current climate of funding and competition for limited research resources. As such, the modern approach to a career in translational research requires an increasingly diverse set of skills, team members and collaborations to be successful. This talk focuses on scientific team-building aimed at the measured development of an “A-team” that can provide sustained productivity and nimble responsiveness to new threats that arise in the human population.

Human Papillomaviruses: The Impact of Vaccination on Human Disease

The unrelenting epidemic of sexually-transmitted infections represents one of the most common threats to the health of adolescents and young adults in America. Despite continued political controversy, the availability of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines represents an important public health success in America. While the full impact of HPV vaccination will not be realized for many years, significant short-term benefits are expected in the near future. Continued education regarding HPV disease and vaccination is necessary to improve HPV vaccination rates so that the maximum benefit can be attained for young men and women. This talk highlights the science behind HPV vaccines and the growing literature on the promiscuity of HPV in causing oncologic and non-oncologic disease in humans.

The Challenge and Necessity of Collaborations between Clinicians and Scientists

Advances in molecular biology continue to deepen our understanding of how pathogens interact with the human host, providing new targets for pathogen-directed and host-directed approaches to control infectious agents. In order to bring these prospects to fruition, the widening gap between clinical and laboratory sciences must be bridged in practical and creative ways. This talk presents a “Top Ten List” of ideas for bridging the gap in meaningful ways that can be implemented by laboratories, departments and institutions to foster synergistic collaborations between clinical and laboratory scientists.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH – John Anthony Vanchiere, M.D., Ph.D.

A second-generation pediatrician, Dr. Vanchiere is a physician-scientist whose goal is to understand the host and viral factors that are necessary for control of persistent viruses in humans, especially the human polyomaviruses. His translational virology studies in humans and non-human primates and extensive clinical trial experience provide a rich background for his efforts to improve the care of immune compromised patients who are at highest risk for polyomavirus disease. Through grant funding and research contracts, Dr. Vanchiere has built a productive research team that utilizes in vitro and in vivo studies to provide the fertile soil for the realization of his vision.